Thursday, July 23, 2009

Speaking at open lunch event this Friday

And here are the details:

Opportunity Urbanism

The HPRA speaker this Friday is Houston blogger Tory Gattis, who will discuss his work with urban scholar Joel Kotkin and his optimistic views about Houston as a city that allows rapid social mobility for citizens "as an alternative to the popular smart growth, new urbanism, and creative class movements."

Some make more difference than others. It can influence "the conversation". Policy wonks tend to be informed, and then they advise their candidates. Media read it and consider the arguments when they write pieces. The movers and shakers that write the big campaign checks tend to care about these issues and get informed, then query the candidates before they write the checks. It's all at the margins, but I think it makes a difference.

Although it might seem hard to understand that such people are able to make a difference, i still think that it is very important to stand up and at least try to influence political decisions. i do agree that everyone should get involved because in the end it will somehow get to those people it was ment to get to.

About Me

Social Systems Architect and entrepreneur with a genuine love of my hometown. I cover a wide range of topics in this blog - including transportation, transit, economic development, quality-of-life, city identity, and development and land-use regulations - and have published numerous Houston Chronicle op-eds on these topics. I'm a Founding Senior Fellow with the Center for Opportunity Urbanism and co-authored the original study with noted urbanist Joel Kotkin and others, creating a city philosophy around upward social mobility for all citizens as an alternative to the popular smart growth, new urbanism, and creative class movements. I am a native Houstonian, 6th-generation Texan, attended Rice University for my BSEE and MBA, and a former McKinsey consultant and adjunct faculty member with Leadership Houston. I am currently the founder of Coached Schooling, pioneering a transformational new approach for a more effective and engaging 21st-century K-12 education combining the best elements of eLearning, home and traditional schooling. CONTACT EMAIL: tgattis (at) pdq.net - send me an email if you would like to receive these posts via email, or see the Google Groups signup box below.